Atlético not ready to spend €55m on Morata yet, despite Chelsea recall option — report

When Álvaro Morata joined Atlético Madrid on an 18-month loan in January, the strong assumption was that for all intents and purposes, it was a permanent move. But that €55m buy-option remains un-exercised, despite the theoretical possibility of a Chelsea recall this summer.

That impasse goes some ways towards explaining why Morata himself has been running such a strong campaign to stay at Atlético. While a recall really doesn’t sound like something Chelsea should or would realistically do, the Spanish media continues to play it up as an option.

Morata has fared relatively well for Atlético so far, scoring 6 goals in 15 league matches as the centre forward partner for French star Antoine Griezmann. But Griezmann is leaving, which complicates an already complicated situation. His replacement is of higher priority than signing Morata.

The decision to exercise the buy-option is further complicated by their wage situation, which has them paying a significant amount to a certain Diego Costa, who really hasn’t fared all that well since returning from Chelsea 18 months ago. If they’re able to offload Diego, Morata would immediately become more reasonably affordable.

Morata, whose state of mind will certainly not be helped by the recent armed burglary his wife and kids suffered on Friday while he was away on international duty — scary! — obviously wants all this uncertainty to be over as soon as possible. Unfortunately for him, it looks like he’ll have to wait patiently for at least a bit longer.